2021 Fitch Mountain Community Evacuation Exercise - After Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR/IP) County of Sonoma Department of Emergency ...
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2021 Fitch Mountain
Community Evacuation Exercise
After Action Report and Improvement Plan
(AAR/IP)
County of Sonoma
Department of Emergency Management
July 2021
2021 Fitch Mountain Community Evacuation Exercise
After Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR/IP)
Table of Contents
List of Acronyms ..................................................................................................................................... 3
I. Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 4
II. Background ......................................................................................................................................... 5
III. Exercise Overview .............................................................................................................................. 6
IV. Exercise Planning Process .................................................................................................................. 8
Identifying a “Community Champion”.................................................................................................. 8
Planning Team Meetings ..................................................................................................................... 8
Documentation ................................................................................................................................... 9
Resource and staffing .......................................................................................................................... 9
County Inter-Departmental Coordination .......................................................................................... 10
External/Operational Area Partners ................................................................................................... 11
Setup of Emergency Notification Alert (SoCo Alert)............................................................................ 11
High-level Representation ................................................................................................................. 12
Community Preparedness Outreach: Resource Fair........................................................................... 12
V. Exercise Implementation – Key Findings........................................................................................... 13
Internal Partner Evaluation ................................................................................................................ 13
General Participant Evaluation........................................................................................................... 14
VI. Improvement Plan ........................................................................................................................... 17
Appendix A: Relevant Survey Results Graphics .................................................................................... 20
Appendix B: Relevant Emergency Alert Graphics ................................................................................. 25
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2021 Fitch Mountain Community Evacuation Exercise
After Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR/IP)
List of Acronyms
AAR/IP: After-Action Report and Improvement Plan
AFN: Access and Functional Needs
CAO: County Administrator’s Office
CART: Sonoma Community Animal Response Team
CERT: Community Emergency Response Team
COPE: Citizens Organized to Prepare for Emergencies
COVID-19: Coronavirus Disease 2019
DEM: Department of Emergency Management
EDB: Economic Development Board
EOP: Emergency Operations Plan
FHA: Fitch Mountain Homeowners Association
FPM: Final Planning Meeting
HALTER: Horse and Livestock Team Emergency Response
HSD: Human Services Department
HSEEP: Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program
ICP: Incident Command Post
IPM: Initial Planning Meeting
MPM: Mid-Term Planning Meeting
NWS: National Weather Service
PIO: Public Information Officer
SO: Sheriff’s Office
SoCo: Sonoma County
TDD: Telecommunications Device for the Deaf
TEP: Temporary Evacuation Point
WEA: Wireless Emergency Alert
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2021 Fitch Mountain Community Evacuation Exercise
After Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR/IP)
I. Introduction
In June 2021, the Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management (DEM) in coordination with
the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office (SO) carried out two community evacuation exercises that targeted
three unincorporated areas of the County. These evacuation exercises were a resumption of previously-
planned exercises in identified high-risk areas of the unincorporated county that were put on hold since
2019 due to various emergency situations that impacted the County, including wildfires and COVID-19
Pandemic restrictions.
These community exercises were successfully resumed and carried out in 2021. As planned follow-up,
DEM has developed an After-Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR/IP) for these exercises in order
to better assess and strengthen community and stakeholder engagement around these initiatives moving
forward. The contents in these AAR/IP are based on key observations as well as community and
stakeholder comments and feedbacks.
The table below shows the two evacuation exercises that were implemented on different dates and the
respective communities involved.
Exercise Dates Unincorporated Community Location
Saturday, June 5th 2021 Fitch Mountain Northeast County
Saturday, June 19th 2021 Camp Meeker and Occidental West County
This AAR/IP provides a brief overview of the community evacuation exercise recently implemented in the
unincorporated area of Fitch Mountain located in the North County area. It also incorporates and
highlights areas for improvement as well as corrective actions for future implementation moving forward.
Public access to this AAR/IP is available on: www.sonomacounty.ca.gov/DEM/Public-Reports.
Looking ahead, an envisioned goal for future evacuation exercises is to have communities from
unincorporated areas of the County lead the planning process and implement these exercises themselves
with county and community stakeholder support. Hence, it is imperative for the recommendations
highlighted in this AAR/IP to be known and acted upon by all stakeholders.
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2021 Fitch Mountain Community Evacuation Exercise
After Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR/IP)
II. Background
Since the devastating Tubbs and Nuns Fires in 2017, Sonoma County residents have come to terms with
what it means to live in a wildfire-prone area. The community understands the importance of staying
vigilant to potential wildfire risks and being fully prepared. In response to the 2017 Fires, the County’s
Department of Emergency Management (DEM) carried out an assessment of the most at-risk areas in the
unincorporated County that would benefit from targeted wildfire preparedness efforts. These efforts
included public education on emergency preparedness, supporting community groups with relevant
resources, deeper government & community stakeholder involvement and exercising emergency
scenarios with the community.
In late 2019, DEM began implementing a series of Community Evacuation Exercises targeting communities
in unincorporated areas that met the following two criteria: 1) being in a high-risk wildfire area and; 2)
residents facing challenge with existing limited infrastructure in the event of a real evacuation need, i.e.
“one way in and one way out” road access. Initially, three community evacuation exercises were planned
for October-November 2019. The unincorporated communities involved Cavedale-Trinity, Mill Creek and
Fitch Mountain. Due to the Kincade Fire, only two community exercises were carried out (Cavedale-Trinity
and Mill Creek) in 2019 while the remaining community exercise (Fitch Mountain) had to be postponed.
Incidentally, this community was impacted by an evacuation order due to the wildfire threat.
Leaping forward, much has occurred in Sonoma County since late 2019 including multiple wildfires in 2020
and the current COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented DEM from moving forward with the planned
community evacuation exercises as originally envisioned. After almost two years and as emergency
response operations subsided and local COVID-19 restrictions eased, these exercises were finally resumed
in mid 2021. This resumption of community evacuation exercises targeted three unincorporated
communities, although two would ultimately be carried out due to planning constraints and overall timing
of implementation prior to the dryer months of the year and accompanying wildfire risks. Pending
unincorporated communities as well as those that have shown recent interest in County support with
planning and implementation of an evacuation exercise in the near future have been included on a 2022
Community Evacuation Exercise waitlist. Currently, these communities are: Diamond A/George Ranch
(Southeast County), Palomino Lakes (Northeast County), Cazadero (Northwest County) and Upper Mark
West (Southeast County).
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2021 Fitch Mountain Community Evacuation Exercise
After Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR/IP)
III. Exercise Overview
The following section outlines the general profile of the Fitch Mountain community evacuation exercise
that took place in June, 2021. This outline is based on the Homeland Security Exercise and Evacuation
Program (HSEEP) standardized template.
Exercise Name Fitch Mountain Community Evacuation Exercise
Exercise Date Saturday, June 5th 2021
Educate, familiarize and prepare the community to better respond to a wildfire
threat. To evaluate the abilities of local government and emergency response
Purpose agencies to notify residents, order an evacuation and control traffic flow in an orderly
manner while directing residents either away from a wildfire threat or to a
designated temporary evacuation point (TEP).
Functional Exercise targeting the Fitch Mountain area neighborhoods of Sonoma
Scope County and borderline section of the City of Healdsburg.
The exercise is limited to targeted area residents only.
Mission Areas Mitigation, Protection, Response
• Community Resilience
• Critical Transportation
• Intelligence and Information Sharing
• Mass Care Services
Core • On-Scene Security, Protection and Law Enforcement Situational Assessment
Capabilities • Operational Communication
• Operational Coordination
• Planning
• Public Information and Warning
• Risk and Disaster Resilience Assessment
1. Safely evacuate residents from the Fitch Mountain area to the Healdsburg
Community Center via pre-identified evacuation routes
2. Familiarize residents with the local evacuation plan/routes
3. Identify and address Access and Functional Needs (AFN)
Objectives 4. Exercise the Sonoma County Alert System (SoCo Alert) to notify participating
residents
5. Facilitate residents signing up for notifications with SoCo Alert
6. Collect data during the exercise to enhance current wildfire evacuation plans.
7. Strengthen collaboration between participating agencies
Natural Disaster – Fire. The scenario was selected based upon an increasingly
Threat/Hazard
dangerous hazard of wildland fires in Northern California.
Incident: High temperatures, low humidity and strong winds have prompted the
Scenario National Weather Service (NWS) to issue a Red Flag warning for the North Bay Area
Counties. A wildfire starts on the Mayacamas Mountains near Castle Rock Springs.
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Northeasterly winds drive the fire towards the Fitch Mountain neighborhood
resulting in an Evacuation Order issued by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
Sponsor County of Sonoma Department of Emergency Management
State/Federal Agencies
• CalFire
• California Highway Patrol
County of Sonoma
• Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management
• Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office
• Sonoma County Regional Parks
• Human Services Department
Participating
• Transportation and Public Works
Organizations
Local Agencies and Organizations
• Fitch Mountain Citizens Organized to Prepare for Emergencies (COPE)
• Fitch Mountain Homeowners Association (FHA)
• American Red Cross
• City of Healdsburg Fire Department
• City of Healdsburg Police Department
• City of Healdsburg Community Services/Parks and Recreation
Richard Diaz
Point of Deputy Emergency Services Coordinator
Contact Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management
Richard.Diaz@sonoma-county.org | 707-565-3606
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IV. Exercise Planning Process
Planning for these community evacuation exercises required rigorous engagement and coordination with
all stakeholders. DEM led these planning efforts for this evacuation exercise in such way that allowed for
adequate community involvement at all levels. The following sections further describe specific areas of
the planning process that were instrumental in the overall implementation of the exercises.
Identifying a “Community Champion”
Identifying community stakeholders that knew their area well and had the capacity to maintain resident
engagement throughout the exercise planning process was critical to the exercise success. For the Fitch
Mountain community, DEM identified the Fitch Mountain Citizens Organized to Prepare for Emergencies
(COPE) organization as the community champion to help drive this effort from start to finish. The Fitch
Mountain COPE is part of the wider North Sonoma County COPE network and they have been heavily
involved in community preparedness within neighborhood groups, including the Fitch Mountain
Homeowners Association and government partners from the City of Healdsburg. Additionally, DEM has
established good relationship with the Fitch Mountain COPE as a result of ongoing mutual community
preparedness efforts which include the development of awareness videos, development of preparedness
materials and mitigation plans. The Fitch Mountain COPE was also initially engaged in the community
evacuation exercise planned in 2019 and which had to be postponed.
This organization’s involvement in the community evacuation planning process has given them a unique
perspective on what is required to deliver these types of exercise and has positioned them to lead
planning efforts for future evacuation in their respective communities.
Planning Team Meetings
As with every exercise type, planning is critical for a successful implementation. For these particular
community evacuation exercises, which involved an array of stakeholders and partners, several planning
meetings were required. Following guidance from the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation
Program (HSEEP), a Planning Team was created to steer the planning efforts required for this evacuation
exercise. This Planning Team was comprised of representatives of the identified community champion,
community leaders, local public safety entities and County Departments (primarily DEM, Sheriff’s Office
and County Administrator’s Office). Additionally, three main planning meetings were scheduled over a
three-month period: Initial Planning Meeting (IPM), Mid-Term Planning Meeting (MPM) and a Final
Planning Meeting (FPM). Due to the local and state COVID-19 Pandemic restrictions, these planning
meetings were held virtually over the Zoom video conferencing platform.
Every exercise planning meeting was facilitated by DEM. These planning meetings fostered stakeholder
discussions within the Planning Team around defined exercise objectives, exercise scenario development,
exercise implementation date and time, key implementing and supporting players, resources needed and
overall status updates. They also served as a platform to relay important feedback and suggestions on
where to modify processes and carry out additional side meetings that were deemed important, such as
public safety discussions which required a more internal level of conversation.
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The following is a brief overview of the key elements that were addressed during each of the Planning
Team meetings and when they were held:
Initial Planning Meeting (IPM) – March 25, 2021
• Define exercise objectives
• Define coordination team
• Assign roles and responsibilities
• Develop exercise scenario and draft exercise plan (ExPlan)
• Agree on exercise date, time, duration and location(s)
Mid-Term Planning Meeting (MPM) – May 6, 2021
• IPM meeting minutes and follow-up
• Discuss scenario timeline
• Review draft exercise plan (ExPlan)
• Assign additional responsibilities
Final Planning Meeting (FPM) – May 20, 2021
• Comprehensive final review
• Approve exercise plan (ExPlan)
• Review logistical activities
• Resolve open planning issues and address last-minute concerns
Documentation
Given the importance of these planning meetings, specific attention was given to documenting
information.
As facilitators of every Planning Team meeting, DEM maintained a system of documentation that would
aid the whole planning process. Materials developed, shared and discussed among the Planning Team
members for both exercises were documented in internal DEM systems.
Meeting agendas, meeting minutes and Zoom call recordings were documented and shared when
available. This allowed for immediate follow-up on urgent matters, kept momentum in the planning
process and also showed community stakeholders the County’s commitment to carrying out an important
activity in high-risk communities.
Resource and staffing
DEM assigned one staff member to coordinate the planning process for this community evacuation
exercise by working closely with the identified community champion. The assigned DEM staff was the
County’s face to the Planning Team and to the target community in terms of coordination and
engagement. Two-way communications were channelled through the DEM representative, including the
facilitation and acquisition of resources in concert with other stakeholders.
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The Fitch Mountain COPE also designated leaders and dedicated resources to support the planning
process. For this exercise, the Fitch Mountain COPE utilized their already-existing networking platforms
to enhance community awareness about the upcoming evacuation exercises. Their ability to connect with
local residents via online newsletters, i.e. Fitch Mountain Homeowners Association mailing lists and other
group texting apps, put the evacuation exercise on the spotlight early on, prompting increased interest
from the community.
County Inter-Departmental Coordination
Although this was a DEM-led initiative in concert with the Sheriff’s Office and the County Administrator’s
Office, the community evacuation exercises required the involvement and coordination of multiple other
County Departments given the overlapping areas of engagement in an emergency response setting.
In a real evacuation situation, it is the Sheriff’s Office who has the authority to order residents in
unincorporated areas to evacuate. With this comes a myriad of protocols and procedures that the County
puts in place as per its Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), which requires the engagement of multiple
County Departments. On this note, DEM brought together the County Departments that needed to be
part of the planning process to not only take an active role, but also to assess and improve their own
procedures for this type of evacuations.
The following is a summary of the County Departments that were involved in the evacuation exercise
planning process and implementation. The table details a County Department’s normal role during a real
emergency and their associated engagement in this exercise:
Department Normal Role and Purpose of Exercise Involvement
• Lead county entity that directs emergency preparedness and response operations
• In charge of the overall evacuation exercise coordination and delivery
DEM • Delivers and tests the Alert & Warning notifications on evacuation exercise day via
the SoCo Alert platform
• Facilitates distribution of county preparedness materials during exercise day
• County entity that authorizes evacuation warnings and orders in real emergency
situations
Sheriff’s Office • Alerts residents in evacuation exercise perimeter via ground patrolling and Hi-Lo
sirens
• Supports community preparedness aware during the Resource Fair
• Oversees county operations in unincorporated areas
County Administrator’s • Engages county communications/Public Information Office (PIO) to support
Office exercise planning efforts and external relations during evacuation exercise day, i.e.
media, public information, elective officials
• Manage county parks and recreational areas and have emergency protocols in place
to facilitate regional park resources during real emergency situations
Regional Parks
• Provides traffic control at the Temporary Evacuation Point (TEP) within evacuation
exercise perimeter
• Manages shelters and TEPs during real emergency evacuation situations
Human Services
• Manages and tests the simulated TEP during evacuation exercise day
Transportation and • Manage county roads and maintenance
Public Works • Supports overall exercise with road signage and permitting
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External/Operational Area Partners
As with County Departments, several partners mainly from within the Operational Area had an interest in
partaking in these exercises given their direct involvement in community preparedness and response
operations during a real emergency. Similar to the previous section, the following table illustrates those
partners from within the Operational Area who took part in the evacuation exercises and were heavily
involved in either Planning Team or side meetings.
Agency/Organization Normal Role and Purpose of Exercise Involvement
• Public Safety government entity
City of Healdsburg Fire
• Supported exercise logistics, community awareness and public safety coordination
Department
within City jurisdiction
• Public Safety government entity
City of Healdsburg
• Supported exercise logistics, community awareness and public safety coordination
Police Department
within City jurisdiction
City of Healdsburg • Manages City of Healdsburg facilities, including the Healdsburg Community Center
Community Services • Supported exercise logistics with venue arrangements and Resource Fair setup
• Strategic partner in community preparedness awareness
Fitch Mountain COPE • Part of the Planning Team that helped steer the exercise planning process
• Participated in the Resource Fair providing COPE information materials to attendees
• Strategic partner in shelter response operations during real emergencies
American Red Cross
• Participated in the Resource Fair providing information materials to attendees
Horse and Livestock • Strategic partner in animal shelter response operations
Team Emergency • Participated in the Resource Fair providing animal evacuation information materials
Response (HALTER) to attendees
Sonoma Community • Strategic partner in animal shelter response operations
Animal Response Team • Participated in the Resource Fair providing animal evacuation information materials
(CART) to attendees
• Strategic partner in animal shelter response operations
North Bay Animal
• Participated in the Resource Fair providing animal evacuation information materials
Services
to attendees
North Sonoma County
• Strategic partner in organizing volunteer/CERT members in assisting during
Community Emergency
emergency operations
Response Team (CERT)
Setup of Emergency Notification Alert (SoCo Alert)
SoCo Alert is the County’s public safety emergency notification system which is managed by DEM under
the Alert & Warning Program. The SoCo Alert emergency notification capabilities include reaching
registered community residents via email, text message and audio via calls to a cell phone or landline. It
also employs Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) if needed as well as Spanish language messaging. For
community evacuation exercises, this is the main notification system that is used and determines the
official start of the exercise with an initial SoCo Alert launch.
Planning for a SoCo Alert launch in this evacuation exercise was led by DEM and supported by the Planning
Team. In order for community residents to take full advantage of the evacuation exercise protocols, they
were required to register in order to receive a SoCo Alert, which would in turn simulate a real-life
evacuation notification from the Sheriff’s Office and prompt residents to leave their homes and proceed
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After Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR/IP)
to a specified location. With the support of the CAO, DEM facilitated the registration process online via a
county-managed exercise-specific website and via postcards that were mailed to all USPS-registered
addresses in Fitch Mountain. Additionally, the county partnered with 2-1-1 to assist those residents with
limited computer access and computer knowledge via the phone.
An online and phone registration period was established and closed 48 hours prior to exercise day. This
gave DEM enough time to collect all registration data and make preparations for the corresponding
written and audio messages that would go out in both, English and Spanish.
High-level Representation
Preparedness planning with and for the community requires a Whole of Community approach and that
includes ensuring high-level figures are part of the process. Under HSEEP guidelines, elected officials are
involved in the early stages of the planning process as they need to understand and be in agreement with
the scope and overall objective of the exercise to be carried out in a given jurisdiction. For this evacuation
exercise, DEM made sure to engage and keep informed not only heads of county and partner organization
stakeholders but also elective officials representing the targeted community. Fitch Mountain is located
in Northeast County and therefore represented under Supervisorial District 4.
The District 4 Supervisor was formally invited to attend the evacuation exercise for Fitch Mountain. This
was an opportunity to also engage with community participants and the exercise planning team. A brief
public address from the Supervisor and various County and City leadership members was organized as
part of the day’s agenda. Planning for such public engagement from leaders reassured the community
that the county and many other partners take community safety seriously, that they understand the
threats posed by wildfires and that they are committed to helping them be informed and know what to
do during an emergency situation.
Community Preparedness Outreach: Resource Fair
An important additional element in this exercise was ensuring participants not only learned from the
experience of gathering essential items, evacuating their homes and driving to a designated TEP, but also
to have access to community preparedness resources and information prior to leaving this event. For this
purpose, the Planning Team considered ideal having a Resource Fair where participants would have the
opportunity to interact with various community preparedness organizations and learn more about their
capabilities and resources made available to the community ahead of a real evacuation scenario.
In a designated open space and with COVID-19 precautionary measures in place, the Resource Fair was
made possible thanks to the support from the City of Healdsburg Community Services Department as well
as partner organizations including North Sonoma County COPE, North Sonoma County CERT, HALTER,
North Bay Animal Services and Sonoma CART. The latter three organizations specialize in animal
evacuation and operate throughout the county.
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V. Exercise Implementation – Key Findings
Planning for the Fitch Mountain community evacuation exercise required an extensive time commitment
for organization and engagement in order to ensure successful implementation. In this latter phase, all
the moving pieces are observed at play and their performance documented for evaluation and correction
towards future related planning cycles.
The following key findings were based on observations and feedback obtained from participating
community members, planning team members and agencies/organizations supporting the exercise. They
have also been categorized into two groups for better analysis: Internal Partner Evaluation and General
Participant Evaluation.
Internal Partner Evaluation
Shortly after the exercise, an internal partner evaluation was done through a “hotwash” session. This
made sure that fresh feedback was captured from those that were involved in the operational front of the
exercise. Under HSEEP protocols, these are considered to be exercise evaluators and observers.
Public Safety Coordination
Core Capability: On-Scene Security, Protection and Law Enforcement Situational Assessment
Key Findings:
1. A Hi-Lo siren from one of the Sheriff Deputy’s vehicle went off before the official launch of the
exercise notification (SoCo Alert), creating a minor confusion among a few in the Incident Command
Post who ultimately realized the Hi-Lo siren was activated a bit too early.
Core Capability: Public Information and Warning
Key Findings:
2. DEM successfully launched the SoCo Alert, however, some participants did not receive it 1.
3. There is poor cell phone service in Fitch Mountain due to its location.
Core Capability: Operational Coordination
Key Findings:
4. The Incident Command Post (ICP) was appropriately setup and the morning pre-exercise briefing
and post-exercise hotwash were carried out here. However, its functionality could be improved by
having a better structure for monitoring incoming vehicles arriving at the TEP and better designation
of tasks/things to monitor.
Temporary Evacuation Point (TEP) Operations
Core Capability: Mass Care Services
1
See Graphic 1 in Appendix A
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Key Findings:
5. Incoming flow of vehicles at the TEP happened quickly and therefore, the check-in process should
only take a small amount of time in vehicles through.
6. An additional pass-thru lane would make things easier for those who would prefer to go straight
to the parking area, i.e. evacuating trailers, etc.
7. Staff supporting traffic control stated that traffic backed up to Healdsburg Ave. at one point.
8. More signs and cones were needed to better direct vehicles, particularly in the main entrance.
9. Once parked, some participants had to walk directly through areas where other vehicles were
operating/being parked, causing a safety concern.
Community Preparedness Resource Fair
Core Capability: Community Resilience
Key Findings:
10. Once parked, some participants had to walk a long distance to get to the Resource Fair.
11. People should be reminded that the Healdsburg Community Center is not the default location to
go during a real evacuation.
Core Capability: Planning
Key Findings:
12. The timeline of events was slightly modified to accommodate for the speed at which scheduled
activities were taking place, however, this generated slight confusion among a few participants.
13. Several participants arrived at 10am once things were closing down, mentioning that the exercise
was announced to end at 11am.
General Participant Evaluation
Exercise participants provided DEM with feedback on their experience by way of responding to an exercise
survey/feedback form both in print and online via Survey Monkey. Additionally, key observations were
documented from an exercise debrief conducted between DEM and Fitch Mountain COPE leaders a few
days after the exercise. Below are the critical observations documented from the participants.
Access and Functional Needs
Core Capability: Critical Transportation
Key Findings:
14. It is assumed that not many residents with disabilities/special needs participated in the exercise
and there needs to be a clear understanding of how many residents in this category reside in the
area and will require transportation 2
Core Capability: Public Information and Warning
2
See Graphic 6 in Appendix A
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Key Findings:
15. The hearing impaired will have issues hearing any of the audible alerts (Hi-Lo sirens, phone ring,
etc.); it was unclear as to what is in place for residents with this disability.
Public Safety Coordination
Core Capability: Public Information and Warning
Key Findings:
16. Several residents stated that they could not hear the Hi-Lo sirens when activated during the onset
of the exercise.
17. Several residents also stated that the SoCo Alert voice message was not clear/understandable and
therefore relied on either the text messages or other notifications received.
18. Many expected the SoCo Alert to be as loud as a WEA but it wasn’t.
19. Registration on the SoCo Alert platform is not really setup in such way that encourages those who
do not use cell phones to actually get registered.
20. Many that did not register for the exercise still participated on the actual event.
Core Capability: On-Scene Security, Protection and Law Enforcement
Key Findings:
21. Sheriff Deputy patrol vehicles were not seen in the inner roads off of N. Fitch Mountain Rd. and
S. Fitch Mountain Rd (Madrone Ave., for instance). It is critical to also go into these roads to alert
the residents who reside along that perimeter.
22. In a real-life event, traffic control would be a concern. The Fitch Mountain COPE leaders can
benefit from training in order to support traffic control, if needed.
Exercise Planning
Core Capability: Planning
Key Findings:
23. Exercise footprint was not clear to many; it needs to be better defined for future exercises.
24. After a long week of work, some residents did not participate due to how early the exercise was
scheduled to commence; it is suggested that future exercises begin later than 8:00am.
25. In terms of the frequency of having these evacuation exercises, it is suggested to have them at
least once a year as it would allow for residents to become more familiar with evacuation
protocols.
26. Perhaps more community residents would be encouraged to participate in future exercises if
there is an incentive for doing so, i.e. free goodies if one shows up with a Go-Bag or maybe
negotiate a utility bill deduction for those that do take part as a mandatory practice.
Community Preparedness Resource Fair
Core Capability: Community Resilience
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Key Findings:
27. Participants stated that more effort should be put into letting people know that a Resource Fair
will be taking place as part of the exercise.
Temporary Evacuation Point (TEP) Operations
Core Capability: Mass Care Services
Key Findings:
28. Would be useful to start thinking about a “South of Town” TEP location; the current PG&E staging
area, the Golf course and Healdsburg High School are three locations that could be explored.
29. TEP entry needs to better account for a larger influx of vehicles.
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VI. Improvement Plan
The following is a proposed Improvement Plan based on the key findings captured in the previous section. This Improvement Plan is intended to
follow up with the challenges encountered and shared by both, the Planning Team and the general participants who that took part in this exercise.
It also incorporates corrective actions that will improve future implementation of these types of community evacuation exercises.
The matrix below has been adapted from the HSEEP guidance template for displaying challenges and corrective actions as well as proposed dates
of completion.
Exercise Responsible Completion
Capability Issue/Challenge Corrective Action
Component Entity/Org. Date
All patrol staff already in the field are to take
• A Hi-Lo siren from one of the Sheriff Deputy’s part in the pre-exercise briefing at the Incident
Public Safety DEM, Sheriff’s
vehicle went off before the official launch of the Command Post (ICP), at least via phone/radio in Jan 2022
Coordination Office
exercise SoCo Alert order to be on the same page regarding exercise
start time
On-Scene Security, • Sheriff patrol vehicles were not seen in the inner
Sheriff’s Office and Regional Parks to assess the
Protection and Law roads off of N. Fitch Mountain Rd. and S. Fitch
Public Safety feasibility of having Sheriff Deputy vehicles or Hi- Sheriff’s Office,
Enforcement Mountain Rd (Madrone Ave., for instance). It is Jan 2022
Coordination Lo enabled Regional Parks vehicles patrol inlet Regional Parks
Situational Assessment considered critical to go into these roads to alert
roads
the residents who reside along that perimeter
• In a real-life event, traffic control would be a Fitch Mountain COPE leaders to connect with the
Public Safety concern. The Fitch Mountain COPE leaders can North Sonoma County CERT program manager DEM, Fitch
Sept 2021
Coordination benefit from training in order to support traffic (Geoff Peters) for traffic control training Mountain COPE
control, if needed opportunities
Some participants DID NOT register for the
Public Safety • DEM successfully launched the SoCo Alert; exercise and therefore did not receive it 3.
DEM Aug 2021
Coordination however, a few people did not receive it Improve pre-exercise communications to help
residents understand they need to register
Analysis of cell phone coverage in the Fitch DEM, Economic
Public Information and Public Safety • There is poor cell phone service in Fitch
Mountain community to be carried out and Development Sept 2021
Warning Coordination Mountain due to its location
assessed Board (EDB)
• The hearing impaired should not have issues
Use of SoCo Alert Telecommunications Device
Access and hearing any of the audible alerts (Hi-Lo sirens,
for the Deaf (TDD) feature to be utilized in future DEM Jan 2022
Functional Needs etc.), it was unclear as to what is in place for
evacuation exercises
residents with this disability
3
See Graphic 2 in Appendix A
Page | 172021 Fitch Mountain Community Evacuation Exercise
After Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR/IP)
Exercise Responsible Completion
Capability Issue/Challenge Corrective Action
Component Entity/Org. Date
• The Incident Command Post (ICP) was
appropriately setup and the morning pre-
exercise briefing and post-exercise hotwash
Have a better planned structure, preferably ICS-
Operational Public Safety were delivered here. However, its functionality DEM, Planning
based functionality for operating out of the ICP Jan 2022
Coordination; Planning Coordination could be improved by having a better structure Team
throughout the exercise.
for monitoring and keeping track of vehicles
arriving at the TEP and better designation of
tasks/things to monitor.
• TEP check-in can only take a small amount of Ensure revisions to vehicle traffic protocols are
TEP Operations HSD Sept 2021
time in getting people through made to current TEP operations plans
• An additional pass-thru lane would make things
Ensure revisions to vehicle traffic protocols are
TEP Operations easier for those who would prefer to go straight HSD Sept 2021
made to current TEP operations plans
to the parking area, i.e. evacuating trailers, etc.
• TEP entry needs to better account for a large Ensure revisions to vehicle traffic protocols are
TEP Operations HSD Sept 2021
influx of vehicles made to current TEP operations plans
• Traffic backed up to Healdsburg Ave. at one Ensure better planning on traffic flow into DEM, HSD,
TEP Operations Jan 2022
point evacuation venue/TEP in future exercises Regional Parks
• More signs and cones were needed to better Ensure the right number of signs and cones are
Mass Care Services TEP Operations DEM Jan 2022
direct vehicles, particularly in the main entrance appropriately visible in future exercises
• Once parked, some participants had to walk
Ensure better assessment of safety issues when
directly through areas where other vehicles were DEM, Regional
TEP Operations planning for vehicle parking and arrival at TEP Jan 2022
operating/being parked, causing a safety Parks
locations in future exercises
concern
• Would be useful to start thinking about a “South
of Town” TEP location; the current PG&E staging
Potential TEP locations in the area to be further
TEP Operations area, the Golf course and Healdsburg High HSD Jan 2022
assessed and communicated
School are three locations that could be
explored.
• Participants stated that more effort should be
Ensure broader communication and marketing of
Resource Fair put into letting people know that a Resource Fair DEM, CAO Jan 2022
Resource Fair events in future exercises
will be taking place as part of the exercise
Community Resilience Strengthen public communication on what a TEP
• People should be reminded that the Healdsburg
is and that operations at designated locations
Resource Fair Community Center is not the default location to DEM, HSD Oct 2021
will be informed depending on the specific
go during a real evacuation
emergency circumstances
Page | 182021 Fitch Mountain Community Evacuation Exercise
After Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR/IP)
Exercise Responsible Completion
Capability Issue/Challenge Corrective Action
Component Entity/Org. Date
• The timeline of events was slightly deviated to
accommodate speed of people flow and
Ensure better planning is done around future
Resource Fair interactions, which was appreciated by most but DEM, CAO Jan 2022
Resource Fair start and ending times
did generate a little confusion among a couple of
Planning
participants
• Several participants arrived at 10am once things Ensure better planning and communication on
Resource Fair were closing down, mentioning that the exercise exercise start/end times and flexibility for any DEM, CAO Jan 2022
was announced to end at 11am change in schedule
• Once parked, some participants had to walk a Ensure better planning for parking areas in DEM, Regional
Resource Fair Jan 2022
long distance to get to the Resource Fair future exercises parks
• Exercise footprint was not clear to many; it
Exercise Planning Ensure a clearer exercise foot print is designed DEM
needs to be better defined for future exercises
• After a long week of work, some residents did
Define a more convenient exercise start time
not participate due to how early the exercise
Exercise Planning that is after 8:00am, allowing for more people to DEM Jan 2022
was scheduled to commence; it is suggested for
participate to partake in the event
future exercises to begin later than 8:00am
• In terms of the frequency of having these
“Community Champions” to ensure exercises Community
Planning evacuation exercises, it is suggested to have
define/ensure that future community exercises Champions
Exercise Planning them at least once a year as it would allow for Jan 2022
are carried out at least once a year, supported by DEM, Sheriff’s
residents to become more familiar with
DEM and Sheriff’s Office Office
evacuation protocols
• Perhaps more community residents would be
encouraged to participate in future exercises if
“Community Champions” to determine
there is an incentive for doing so, i.e. free Community
Exercise Planning appropriate incentives that would encourage Jan 2022
goodies if one shows up with a Go-Bag or maybe Champions
residents to partake in future exercises
negotiate a utility bill deduction for those that
do take part as a mandatory practice
• It is assumed that not many residents with
disabilities/special needs participated in the Assess the number of potential residents that
Access and exercise and there needs to be a clear have some type of Access and Functional Needs Fitch Mountain
Critical Transportation Jan 2022
Functional Needs understanding of how many residents in this and that would also require evacuation COPE, DEM
category reside in the area and that will require assistance (transportation, etc.)
transportation
Page | 192021 Fitch Mountain Community Evacuation Exercise
After Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR/IP)
Appendix A: Relevant Survey Results Graphics
A total of 80 responses were received for the exercise surveys. 60 of them were completed online via
Survey Monkey and 20 were completed in paper copy on the day of the event. For reporting purposes,
the paper copy responses were later incorporated into the online survey in order to have a more
representative illustration of the overall results.
The following are snapshots of the relevant graphics produced by Survey Monkey. A detailed version of
the survey results has been shared with the Fitch Mountain COPE for reference towards future
community-led exercise planning.
Exercise Emergency Notification (SoCo Alert)
Graphic 1: Did you receive a SoCo Alert?
Graphic 2: Did you pre-register for the exercise?
Note:
Despite 12 participants mentioning
they did not receive a SoCo Alert
for this exercise (Graphic 1),
further analysis showed that a
total of 18 participants effectively
had not pre-registered for the
exercise (Graphic 2) and therefore
could have not received the SoCo
Alert.
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After Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR/IP)
Graphic 3: What other alerts did you get or hear during the exercise?
Note:
Other notification alerts
mentioned were: email, text
messages, Nixle from City of
Healdsburg.
Evacuation Readiness
Graphic 4: Do you have a “Go Bag” ready for evacuation?
Graphic 5: Do you have an Evacuation Tag from the Sheriff’s Office?
Page | 212021 Fitch Mountain Community Evacuation Exercise
After Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR/IP)
Graphic 6: Will you require transportation assistance to evacuate from your community?
Graphic 7: Do you have pets in your home that would require evacuation?
Graphic 8: In a real emergency, where would your planned destination be?
Page | 222021 Fitch Mountain Community Evacuation Exercise
After Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR/IP)
Overall Exercise Participation
Graphic 9: How did you hear about this exercise?
Graphic 10: What was your role in this exercise?
Graphic 11: Would you participate in this type of exercise again?
Page | 232021 Fitch Mountain Community Evacuation Exercise
After Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR/IP)
Graphic 12: How would you rate the value of the Fitch Mountain Evacuation Exercise?
Graphic 13: Please indicate your age
Page | 242021 Fitch Mountain Community Evacuation Exercise
After Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR/IP)
Appendix B: Relevant Emergency Alert Graphics
The following graphics were imported from the SoCo Alert platform (CodeRed) and they provide a
summary of the connection status related to the SoCo Alert launch during the evacuation exercise.
Graphic 14: SoCo Alert Connection Rate
Graphic 15: Call Success Report
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